I love pizza, and pasta for that matter, especially after spending two glorious weeks touring Italy this summer. So it was with great delight that I accepted the kind offer to join our lovely continental cheese clients Futura Foods on their sponsors table at the 28th annual Pizza & Pasta Awards at London Lancaster last Thursday.

Held the evening after The Pizza & Pasta Chef Live Finals, where finalists at Olympia had been competing to be crowned Pizza or Pasta Chef of the Year, there was already a real sense of anticipation and a welcoming buzz to the room. It was smiles all around, which only got bigger as host Dominic Holland worked his magic on the crowd. When it got down to the business of the awards Theo Randall presented the worthy winners – a full list of which can be found here.

Along with over 15 winners, the night also celebrated 40 years of the Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Association and what better way to do this than with a live band and some dancing. ‘Souled Out’ were spot on and had everyone up dancing the night away, an apt way to conclude the evening, which had been fun from start to finish.